LORDSTOWN Zoning board hears debate over landfill

More than 150 residents attended the meeting to express their concerns. By SHERRI L. SHAULIS VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF LORDSTOWN -- Residents and Lafarge Corp. officials will need to wait an additional four to six weeks for a decision on a proposed landfill in the village. Members of the board of zoning appeals met for several hours Monday to hear both sides of the argument on a construction and demolition debris landfill Lafarge wants to open at its Newton Falls-Bailey Road site. Company officials requested a special-use permit to operate the landfill, which would operate under the direction of a wholly-owned subsidiary called Lordstown Construction Recovery LLC. Lafarge accepts granulated slag and mill waste by rail and truck at the site. Board members agreed to continue the hearing at a later date to gather more information on the proposed use of land from Lafarge officials. Other permit approved Lafarge already has an operating permit for the landfill from the Trumbull County Board of Health, which, by law, was required to approve the permit provided the application was in order. Atty. Randy Rudloff, counsel for Lafarge, told board members he saw nothing in the village's zoning code that either prohibited or allowed for such a landfill. "We are acting on the side of caution," he said. "We felt it was appropriate to come before the board of appeals." More than 150 residents from Lordstown and neighboring communities attended the meeting to express their concerns, most of which centered on fears of increased traffic, increased noise, possible health hazards and possible odors. Angela Mulichek, who lives on Palmyra Road near the site, said truck traffic already keeps her and her family awake, saying trucks will line up outside the site as early as 4:30 a.m., waiting for the business to open at 6 a.m. Lafarge already operates from 6 a.m.-midnight, and officials said the proposed landfill would operate the same hours. "When are we supposed to sleep?" Mulichek asked. Mary Horvath, who lives on Bailey-Ellsworth Road, said she is concerned about truck traffic as well. The landfill would mean additional truck traffic, she said, which will deteriorate village roads. "I moved here 26 years ago, and I accepted the trucks," she said. "That was fine. They were there, and I accepted it." But an increase in truck traffic would not be worth it, she said. slshaulis@vindy.com